US weekly crude steel output inches up another 1.2 percent

US raw steel production for the seven days ended August 1 rose by another 1.2 percent from the prior week, pushing percent capability utilization to 53.1 percent, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).

AISI reported Monday that total raw steel production in the United States for the week ended August 1 amounted to approximately 1,269,000 net tons (nt), which is up from the reported 1,254,000 nt produced in the week ended July 25, 2009. Compared to the same week of last year, US crude steel output was down 40.2 percent in the week ended August 1, 2009.

The AISI reports that year-to-date, US raw steel production totaled 32,666,000 nt as of August 1, 2009, which reflects a 50.2 percent reduction in output from the same period of last year. Year-to-date percent capability utilization as of August 1 was reported as 45.0 percent, which is down from the 90.3 percent YTD capability utilization rate for the same period of 2008.